Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
SA's favourites 2017: $1 to $100 list
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Severus Alexander, post: 2934468, member: 84744"]This has been a huge coin year for me, my best ever by a long shot, mostly because I joined CoinTalk in January. Thank you all!! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie50" alt=":happy:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> On the other hand, I see that I overspent somewhat (I was shocked when I added it up!) because you folks have inspired me <i>too much</i> with all your cool coins! I'm going to rationalize my year's spending as making up for 10 years of not being on CoinTalk... but next year I will definitely have to rein it in! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie80" alt=":shame:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>For this year, though, it would be impossible to keep myself to a single "top 10" list, so I hope you will forgive me for indulging in several. There will be a few thematic 2017-in-review posts, and also my overall top 15. (Or at least that's the plan as of now.)</p><p><br /></p><p>In honour of a thriftier 2018, for the first one I'm taking up [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER]'s <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/favorite-coins-of-2017-the-1-100-list.306817/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/favorite-coins-of-2017-the-1-100-list.306817/">dougsmit-inspired challenge</a> to present 10 favourite coins for the year in rising ten dollar price brackets, all below $100 including fees, shipping etc. (I'm excluding anything that will appear in a later list.) Without further ado, then, here are the coins and my reasons for liking them...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$1-10 range</b>: Gallienus (253-68) antoninianus, part of the "zoo series." Rev. LIBERO P CONS AVG Panther (or tigress?) walking left.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713091[/ATTACH]</p><p>Why this coin? I love cats! 'Nuff said. (The only reason this was so cheap was that it was part of a <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/group-lot-goodies-83-x-fun-plus-a-draw.305663/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/group-lot-goodies-83-x-fun-plus-a-draw.305663/">group lot</a>.)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$11-20 range: </b>Justinian (527-565) pentanummium from Carthage.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713101[/ATTACH]</p><p>From the same group lot as the previous coin, I like this for its cute little portrait and its scarcity, but mainly for its historical interest: it was issued soon after Justinian's reconquest of Africa from the Vandals in 533-34. When this coin was minted, the province still wasn't fully secured.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$21-30 range: </b>Hemibol of Themistokles, Ionia: Magnesia ad Maeander, 465-459 BCE. Barley grain/Youthful head (portrait of Themistokles?)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713176[/ATTACH]</p><p>This coin is not a beauty, but it is extremely rare; and more importantly was issued by one of the most famous Greeks in history. Themistokles (you can just barely make out a Θ in the left field of the obverse) was responsible for the buildup of the Athenian navy as well as for the great victory at Salamis against the Persians using that navy. Later, the Athenians found him too big for his britches and ostracized him. He ended up serving as a Persian governor(!) and that's when this coin was issued. I was absolutely gobsmacked to get this coin at its super-low opening price. Obviously nobody else noticed it... the next cheapest example on acsearch, with a slightly better obverse and significantly worse reverse, sold for $425 + fees in 2012! I'll have more to say about Themistokles in a later 2017-in-review post... <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$31-40 range:</b> Value 100 wu zhu, issued in 221-223 by Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu, Three Kingdoms period. Hartill 11.1</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713194[/ATTACH]</p><p>I like this coin because it is a nice, chunky bronze with a pleasant patina, and because it has been attributed to Liu Bei, one of the famous heroes of <i>The Romance of the Three Kingdoms</i>. This massive 14th century historical novel has a status in China similar to Shakespeare's works in the English-speaking world. (I confess I have not managed to get into it though! Maybe this coin will help me...)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$41-50 range:</b> Kasolaba, Caria, hemiobol, issued 400-340 BCE.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713214[/ATTACH]</p><p>C'mon, who could possibly resist that cute lil ram?! I think I'll be able to improve the reverse, which I also like, by lightening the toning on the face a bit. Note the clear letter from the <a href="https://www.omniglot.com/writing/carian.php" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.omniglot.com/writing/carian.php" rel="nofollow">Carian alphabet</a> on the reverse behind the neck. As a language, Carian went extinct a few hundred years after this coin was issued.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$51-60 range:</b> Islamic, al-Andalus (Spain). Umayyads, al-Hakam II ibn 'Abd al-Rahman (AH 350-366 / AD 961-976). AR Dirham</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713217[/ATTACH]</p><p>This one grabs me mostly because of its historical interest: al-Hakam II, the second Caliph of Córdoba, was an excellent scholar, which is neat but not <i>too</i> out of the ordinary. What makes this guy particularly amazing as an Islamic caliph is that he was also openly gay, and employed a female mathematician as his personal secretary! This coin was minted in 356 AH in Medina Azahara, the "Versailles of the Middle Ages" that al-Hakam's father created as the capitol of his new Caliphate.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$61-70 range:</b> Remi debased gold 1/4 stater, 2nd to 1st c. BCE. Four parallel lines, last one L; to left, S. / Horse prancing to left; above and below, torques.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713218[/ATTACH]</p><p>The Remi were a Belgic tribe in northern Champagne, famed for their food and their horses. They remained loyal to Julius Caesar throughout the Gallic wars, and were essential for supplying horses for his cavalry. I knew I wanted a coin from the Remi with a nice Celtic horse on it... and for under $70 in gold? Deal!! (Admittedly heavily debased gold, but still...)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$71-80 range:</b> L. Calpurnius Piso and Q. Servilius Caepio, denarius, 100 BCE. Saturn / Two male figures seated on subsellium; on either side, ear of wheat.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713221[/ATTACH]</p><p>There's a lot of history packed into this coin. It was issued both to purchase stock for and to celebrate the Marius/Saturninus law mandating state-subsidized grain for the Roman populace, and both Piso and Caepio and their families were important figures in the Republic. The harpa behind Saturn is neat too. It's an ancient musical instrument like a bumpy sickle, and is associated with Saturn because of the gruesome use to which he put it, ensuring that his father Uranus would no longer procreate. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie100" alt=":wideyed:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Great toning, too bad about the obverse scratch... but that probably saved me some bucks!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$81-90 range:</b> L. Scipio Asiagenus, serrate denarius, issued 106 BCE. Jupiter / Jupiter driving quadriga.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713224[/ATTACH]</p><p>I've been wanting a serrate denarius, and liked the look and price of this one. Nice depictions of Jupiter, great horses, and nicely centred. After I bought it, I noticed the spelling error... it should be "ASIAG", not "ASAG". An interesting feature, rather than a bug, I'd say!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>$91-100 range: </b>T. Quinctius Flamininus, denarius, 126 BC.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]713227[/ATTACH]</p><p>There are lots of positives about this coin. I love the toning, the apex behind Roma is neat, and it is from the Clain-Stefanelli collection. In addition, the Macedonian shield recalls the moneyer's important ancestor of the same name, who utterly defeated Philip V of Macedon at the battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BCE, and proclaimed the freedom of the Greeks, to great rejoicing. (Of course he kinda lied, but it was at least sorta true for a little while!)</p><p><br /></p><p>And that's a wrap! For now...</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post anything relevant![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Severus Alexander, post: 2934468, member: 84744"]This has been a huge coin year for me, my best ever by a long shot, mostly because I joined CoinTalk in January. Thank you all!! :happy: On the other hand, I see that I overspent somewhat (I was shocked when I added it up!) because you folks have inspired me [I]too much[/I] with all your cool coins! I'm going to rationalize my year's spending as making up for 10 years of not being on CoinTalk... but next year I will definitely have to rein it in! :shame: For this year, though, it would be impossible to keep myself to a single "top 10" list, so I hope you will forgive me for indulging in several. There will be a few thematic 2017-in-review posts, and also my overall top 15. (Or at least that's the plan as of now.) In honour of a thriftier 2018, for the first one I'm taking up [USER=57495]@zumbly[/USER]'s [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/favorite-coins-of-2017-the-1-100-list.306817/']dougsmit-inspired challenge[/URL] to present 10 favourite coins for the year in rising ten dollar price brackets, all below $100 including fees, shipping etc. (I'm excluding anything that will appear in a later list.) Without further ado, then, here are the coins and my reasons for liking them... [B]$1-10 range[/B]: Gallienus (253-68) antoninianus, part of the "zoo series." Rev. LIBERO P CONS AVG Panther (or tigress?) walking left. [ATTACH=full]713091[/ATTACH] Why this coin? I love cats! 'Nuff said. (The only reason this was so cheap was that it was part of a [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/group-lot-goodies-83-x-fun-plus-a-draw.305663/']group lot[/URL].) [B]$11-20 range: [/B]Justinian (527-565) pentanummium from Carthage. [ATTACH=full]713101[/ATTACH] From the same group lot as the previous coin, I like this for its cute little portrait and its scarcity, but mainly for its historical interest: it was issued soon after Justinian's reconquest of Africa from the Vandals in 533-34. When this coin was minted, the province still wasn't fully secured. [B]$21-30 range: [/B]Hemibol of Themistokles, Ionia: Magnesia ad Maeander, 465-459 BCE. Barley grain/Youthful head (portrait of Themistokles?) [ATTACH=full]713176[/ATTACH] This coin is not a beauty, but it is extremely rare; and more importantly was issued by one of the most famous Greeks in history. Themistokles (you can just barely make out a Θ in the left field of the obverse) was responsible for the buildup of the Athenian navy as well as for the great victory at Salamis against the Persians using that navy. Later, the Athenians found him too big for his britches and ostracized him. He ended up serving as a Persian governor(!) and that's when this coin was issued. I was absolutely gobsmacked to get this coin at its super-low opening price. Obviously nobody else noticed it... the next cheapest example on acsearch, with a slightly better obverse and significantly worse reverse, sold for $425 + fees in 2012! I'll have more to say about Themistokles in a later 2017-in-review post... ;) [B]$31-40 range:[/B] Value 100 wu zhu, issued in 221-223 by Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu, Three Kingdoms period. Hartill 11.1 [ATTACH=full]713194[/ATTACH] I like this coin because it is a nice, chunky bronze with a pleasant patina, and because it has been attributed to Liu Bei, one of the famous heroes of [I]The Romance of the Three Kingdoms[/I]. This massive 14th century historical novel has a status in China similar to Shakespeare's works in the English-speaking world. (I confess I have not managed to get into it though! Maybe this coin will help me...) [B]$41-50 range:[/B] Kasolaba, Caria, hemiobol, issued 400-340 BCE. [ATTACH=full]713214[/ATTACH] C'mon, who could possibly resist that cute lil ram?! I think I'll be able to improve the reverse, which I also like, by lightening the toning on the face a bit. Note the clear letter from the [URL='https://www.omniglot.com/writing/carian.php']Carian alphabet[/URL] on the reverse behind the neck. As a language, Carian went extinct a few hundred years after this coin was issued. [B]$51-60 range:[/B] Islamic, al-Andalus (Spain). Umayyads, al-Hakam II ibn 'Abd al-Rahman (AH 350-366 / AD 961-976). AR Dirham [ATTACH=full]713217[/ATTACH] This one grabs me mostly because of its historical interest: al-Hakam II, the second Caliph of Córdoba, was an excellent scholar, which is neat but not [I]too[/I] out of the ordinary. What makes this guy particularly amazing as an Islamic caliph is that he was also openly gay, and employed a female mathematician as his personal secretary! This coin was minted in 356 AH in Medina Azahara, the "Versailles of the Middle Ages" that al-Hakam's father created as the capitol of his new Caliphate. [B]$61-70 range:[/B] Remi debased gold 1/4 stater, 2nd to 1st c. BCE. Four parallel lines, last one L; to left, S. / Horse prancing to left; above and below, torques. [ATTACH=full]713218[/ATTACH] The Remi were a Belgic tribe in northern Champagne, famed for their food and their horses. They remained loyal to Julius Caesar throughout the Gallic wars, and were essential for supplying horses for his cavalry. I knew I wanted a coin from the Remi with a nice Celtic horse on it... and for under $70 in gold? Deal!! (Admittedly heavily debased gold, but still...) [B]$71-80 range:[/B] L. Calpurnius Piso and Q. Servilius Caepio, denarius, 100 BCE. Saturn / Two male figures seated on subsellium; on either side, ear of wheat. [ATTACH=full]713221[/ATTACH] There's a lot of history packed into this coin. It was issued both to purchase stock for and to celebrate the Marius/Saturninus law mandating state-subsidized grain for the Roman populace, and both Piso and Caepio and their families were important figures in the Republic. The harpa behind Saturn is neat too. It's an ancient musical instrument like a bumpy sickle, and is associated with Saturn because of the gruesome use to which he put it, ensuring that his father Uranus would no longer procreate. :wideyed: Great toning, too bad about the obverse scratch... but that probably saved me some bucks! [B]$81-90 range:[/B] L. Scipio Asiagenus, serrate denarius, issued 106 BCE. Jupiter / Jupiter driving quadriga. [ATTACH=full]713224[/ATTACH] I've been wanting a serrate denarius, and liked the look and price of this one. Nice depictions of Jupiter, great horses, and nicely centred. After I bought it, I noticed the spelling error... it should be "ASIAG", not "ASAG". An interesting feature, rather than a bug, I'd say! [B]$91-100 range: [/B]T. Quinctius Flamininus, denarius, 126 BC. [ATTACH=full]713227[/ATTACH] There are lots of positives about this coin. I love the toning, the apex behind Roma is neat, and it is from the Clain-Stefanelli collection. In addition, the Macedonian shield recalls the moneyer's important ancestor of the same name, who utterly defeated Philip V of Macedon at the battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BCE, and proclaimed the freedom of the Greeks, to great rejoicing. (Of course he kinda lied, but it was at least sorta true for a little while!) And that's a wrap! For now... Please post anything relevant![/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
SA's favourites 2017: $1 to $100 list
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...
